Fuel Cell System Powers London Office Tower

FuelCell Energy Solutions has sold a stationary fuel cell power plant for installation at the 20 Fenchurch office development in London.

FuelCell Energy Solutions will manufacture the power plant and, under a service contract, will also operate and maintain the power plant from a European-based operations center staffed 24×7.

The 38-story, 690,000-sq-foot office building in the City of London’s Square Mile is being developed by Canary Wharf Group and Land Securities. The Direct FuelCell (DFC) power plant will provide electricity and heat in a combined heat and power (CHP) configuration with high temperature heat provided to an absorption chiller for cooling and lower temperature heat for facility and hot water heating. The fuel cell will provide an electrical output of 300 kW. The building also incorporates solar shading and window glazing that conserves energy.

The DFC power plant supports the targets established by the Mayor of London to supply one quarter of London’s energy from decentralized sources and reduce CO2 emissions by 60 percent by 2025.

The DFC300-EU will be installed within the office building as the quiet operation and virtual lack of pollutants from fuel cells is suitable for populated areas. The power generation process of the fuel cell uses an electrochemical reaction rather than combustion, which converts fuel into clean electricity and heat suitable for generating steam. The fuel cell power plant will be installed in 2013 and commissioned for the building completion in 2014.

A new report from Fuel Cells 2000, a Washington, DC, based non-profit, finds that well-known companies are moving the fuel cell industry forward. The report “The Business Case for Fuel Cells 2012: America’s Partner In Power,” finds that in 2012 big-name companies such as Apple and Walmart purchased more than 32 MW of stationary fuel cell systems and more than 1,100 fuel cell forklifts.